Rep. Dingell Registers Protest Against State Department Opposes- ME Nuclear Proliferation,
Arab Aim to Destroy Israel; State Dept. Won't Comment on Nasser's Charges Against Israel
(Direct JTA Teletype Wire
Claims Common World Effort Needed
weapon. The State Department ton Tuesday for talks with Presi-
to The Jewish News)
WASHINGTON — State Depart-
In response to a message to the commitment to democracy and
State Department in which he freedom also share her anxieties ment spokesman Robert McCloskey
deplored the continuing Arab corn- for the future. They look to us to declined to comment Tuesday on
mitment to destroy Israel, Con- help her to defend herself and, at Egyptian press reports that Presi-
gressman John D. Dingell was the same time, to do all in our dent Nasser of Egypt had threat-
informed this week by Douglas power to bring about a lasting ened a preventive war against Is-
rael if Israel tested a nuclear
McArthur II, As-
peace settlement."
sistant Secretary
McArthur, in his reply, informed
of State for Con-
Rep. Dingell that the matter has
gressional Rela-
long concerned the United States
tions, that "a
government. He stated:
Common ap-
"The continuing state of tension in
the Near East results from the basic
proach by a 1 l
dispute between Israel and her Arab
states capable of
neighbors. The best course for us
NEW YORK (JTA) — Moscow's
would be to maintain the lowest level
;supplying arms
of armaments possible, but this is not Chief Rabbi Yehuda Leib Levin is
to the area" is
something we alone can do. To achieve
this would require a common ap- always surrounded when he is
necessary to end
proach by all states capable of supply- visited by foreigners, by men sus-
the existing dis-
ing arms to the area. It w o u Id
presuppose a fundamental agreement pected of being Soviet government
pute.
on the need to avoid an arms race in agents, two prominent Catholic
In his protest
the area as well as a situation in which
differences and tensions among the writers, who visited Moscow recent-
against sending
arms-supplying states did not exist. In ly, declared here. The report on
excessive arm s
present circumstances, while the United that facet of Soviet Jewish
reli-
States uses its influence to work for
to the Arabs,
peace and stability in the area, it gious life, among others, was made
Rep. Dingell
cannot ignore the realities of the situa- by the Rev. Thurston N. Davis
tion. Beginning in 1955, massive Soviet
wrote to Secre-
arms sales into the area have been and the Rev. Eugent K. Culhane,
tary of State
a major factor feeding the arms race. Jesuit priests. Father Davis is
"The United States has sought to
Dean Rusk:
Rep. Dingell
avoid becoming a major supplier of editor-in-chief of America, a Jesuit
"The arms buildup is a direct arms to any country in the Near East. weekly, while Father Culhane is
not becoming involved in the arms
result of the policies of President By
spiral, we have hoped we might play the publication's managing editor.
Nasser, who has promised that a an effective role in persuading both
The priests were members of an
to limit further acquisitions of
war with Israel is inevitable. Arab sides
lethal weapons. Moreover, sales by interfaith delegation that went to
states acquire arms because they others have forced us to respond on Moscow and Leningrad last month
occasion by making selective sales to
are encouraged by E g y p t i an meet
defense requirements of some to seek information on Soviet Jew-
promises or because they fear states. These exceptions to our general ish religious life. All the members
Egyptian expansionism. Conse- policy have been based on careful of the group represented the Ap-
case-by-case examinations and a de-
quently, Israel is compelled to in- termination
that such a sale would not peal to Conscience Foundation.
crease her defense preparations be an unstabilizing factor. We, of Among the members of the dele-
course, have sought to ensure that the
at great cost to her economy.
arms in question would be used for gation was one Jew, Rabbi Arthur
purposes of self-defense and Schneider, of Congregation Zich-
"All of us look forward to the legitimate
internal security. —
day when the Arabs will decide
Normally, information relating to ron Ephraim, of New York. The
these sales is treated as privileged report by the priests was printed
to end their war against Israel and because
of the security considerations
agree to enter into negotiations of recipient states. As a result, publi- in America.
for a limitation in their arms and city about arms sales has at times been
Reporting in general that there
based on partial information and has
the attainment of a peace settle- not
always accurately reflected the is "little to contradict the charge
situation. Published reports, of Soviet anti-Semitism," the
ment. We wish that day could be actual
furthermore, sometimes tend to inter-
today.
pret the continuing modernization of priests stated that Soviet Jewish
"But, deplorably, the Arabs re- military establishments in terms of leaders live in fear of government
acceleration and also may fail
main committed to destroy Israel. sudden
to take account of the fact that de- reprisals. Regarding statements is-
livery
pursuant
to arms sales may sued by Jewish leaders in the
The United Nations has been
out over a period of years with-
unable to challenge this illegal stretch
out significant immediate impact. This USSR, reportedly "more obsequi-
posture, the Soviet Union pours is not meant in any sense to discount ous to the government than those
the gravity of the same buildup in the
new weapons into Egypt, Syria and Near
East but rather to suggest that of other religious communities,"
Iraq, and our own Government it can only be evaluated in relative they stated:
and the United Kingdom have re- perspective.
"If the Chief Rabbi of Moscow
"Over the years, the United States
cently undertaken to increase the has met what it assessed as legitimate is the one who signs such state-
defense
requirements
by
sales
of
supply of planes, tanks and mis- limited amounts of military equipment ments, our guess is that these
siles to Saudi Arabia and Jordan. in some Arab countries as well as to statements are written for him by
In line with our policy and to
"We are not complacent about Israel.
meet modernization requirements, we others, probably by the minor lay
any of these developments.
have furnished Patton tanks to Jordon officials who are officers of his
we have also sold Patton tanks to
" In view of this continuing dan- and
Israel. In addition, we and the British synagogue and who surround him
ger, we believe it is imperative have agreed to provide an air defense like a bodyguard. The Chief Rabbi
that the United States take effec- system, the American component being can rarely be visited in privacy.
the defensive tank missile, to Saudi
tive measures to strengthen Arabia.
Similarly, in 1962, we sold the His lay committeemen close in on
tank missile to Israel to provide the him when a visitor arrives, and
Israel's defenses in order to deter basis
for an air defense system.
those who menace her security. In
"United States military sales have inject themselves into the conver-
our judgment the tactics of in- been on a selective basis and in sup- sation. The little that he was free
port
of our objectives of maintaining
direction pursued in the past are friendly
relations with all the states to tell us about the conditions of
no longer adequate or appro- of the area while seeking to advance Jewish life was carefully tailored
peace,
progress,
and stability. We do
priate.
not underestimate the seriousness of to the sensibilities of his lay ad-
"Israel is a progressive and any arms augmentation and will use ministrators.
our influence as we can to one that
vibrant democracy, a friend and the
"One possible key to the plight
dangers inherent in the military
defender of freedom, with a mes- confrontation in the Near East are of the Jews in the Soviet Union,"
to the extent possible. To this
sage of inspiration for all the new limited
end, we will continue our efforts to the priests declared, "lies in what
nations of Asia and Africa. Peo- assist in resolving the basic differences was to us the ominous activity
which divide the Arab States and of the lay committeemen who sur-
ples everywhere who share her Israel."
round the aging rabbis. It is diffi-
cult to believe that these salaried
laymen are not government
agents."
Fathers Davis and Culhane also
revealed, for the first time, that
the delegation was forbidden to see
Rabbi Levin when they wanted to
talk to him on a second visit to
Moscow, after returning to the So-
viet capital from Leningrad. They
said they were told Rabbi Levin
was ill in a hospital and "in quar-
antine," and that the lay officers
Believe Moscow
Rabbi Is Watched
by USSR Agents
spokesman said, however, the Unit-
ed States was opposed to the pro-
liferation of nuclear weapons any-
where in the world, including the
Near East.
dent Johnson and Secretary of
State Rusk. The Egyptians' parlia-
mentary group of five is headed
by Anwar Sadat, speaker of the
Egyptian assembly, and will remain
This country, he said, keeps in this country for 10 days.
abreast of developments in all
countries in efforts to assure non-
proliferation. He said that the Unit-
ed States had no information that
any Near Eastern country is mak-
ing or intends to make a nuclear
weapon. He added that this country
considered the safeguards of the
International Atomic Energy Agen-
cy a step in the prevention of pro-
liferation.
It was meanwhile announced
that the United States had invited
an Egyptian "good-will" mission to
this country. It arrived in Washing-
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Detroit, Michigan 48221
Expanded Facilities to Better Serve
Your Insurance Needs
Reports on Mission in Soviet Union
of his synagogue would not reveal
his whereabouts. Finally, they re-
ported, Rabbi Schneider was per-
mitted to talk to Rabbi Levin by
telephone. "The Chief Rabbi,"
stated the priests, "said that he
was doing all he could in the situa-
tion, that he was not free to say
where he was, and that he sent
regards to his brethren in the
United States."
An interfaith mission to Soviet Union found "all religious groups
in Russia facing the future with confidence, concerned however about
the religious and cultural survival of Soviet Jewry." the Appeal
of
Conscience Foundation-sponsored delegation included (from left)
Dr. Harold A. Bosley, minister of Christ Church Methodist, New
York, vice president; Rabbi Arthur Schneier of Cong. Zichron
Ephraim, New York, president of the foundation; Rev. Thurston N.
Davis, S.J., editor-in-chief of the Jesuit magazine "America," New
York, vice president.
Pioneer Ophthalmology
Ernest A. Hart, a Jewish physi-
cian who lived in 19th century
England, was a pioneer in the
field of ophthalmology. Many of his
innovations for the treatment of
eye diseases were widely adopted
in England.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, February 25, 1966-7
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